Can design help end mental health stigma and discrimination among young people in the UK?

Mental health effects millions of people in the UK, studies show that 1 in 10 children and young people suffer every year (Time to change, 2012). With approximately 850,000 children and young people have a clinically significant mental health problem in the Uk. But due to the lack of knowledge about mental health studies show that it can cause problems later on in someone’s life, and if tackled early it may help to stop further problems down the line. A lot of people suffering with mental health with a large number of those experiencing stigma and discrimination. This is because a large number of people in the the Uk do not have much of an understanding about mental health. Although, over the past few years society have been made more aware about mental health, with it be identified as an actual illness that is very common in all ages. Before that mental health was seen as a problem to be ashamed of and rarely spoken about due to lack of knowledge and understanding. But in more recent times mental health has started to become a widely recognised illness, showing that it is a common problem today and that it is something the country should talk about. This has been done by for example the Royals have been working alongside ‘Head’s Together’, a charity that works with young people to tackle and end stage about mental health. Even though mental health is now becoming more widely recognised there is still a lot of stigma in the UK. With 9 out 10 people with a mental health problem saying that stigma and discrimination has a negative effect on their lives (Mental Health Foundation, 2017)

It is clear that mental health should be spoken about so it can allow the Uk to have a better understand on the illness and also make people aware that it is far more common than most people think. From interviews with mental health sufferers, it has been found that people believe that design could be used in a product or service to help the UK have a better understanding about mental health in the future. If society were more aware that mental health is a very common problem it would help end stigma and discrimination. This research has shown that past methods of hiding people with mental health wasn’t the correct way of tackling the situation and that it actually makes problems but using modern methods of group therapy, forums and blogs are much more successful and could be the key to solving stigma and discrimination. Design would be a great and successful way of helping to help stigma and discrimination regarding one's mental health, with so many ways of tackling the situation, it is us as designers job to work together to create a product or service to help those people in need.